The Concrete Operations Stage, between seven and twelve years shows a general decrease of centric thought and can apply the concept of grouping to concrete,
but not abstract, objects. E.g. they can realise a penny and a five pound note look different but are all still forms money. (http://allpsych.com/psychology101/development.html)
The final stage occurs between twelve years and late adolescence or early adulthood, and is where they can apply conservation to both concrete and abstract situations and also develop their own ideas about the world.
Piaget’s theory can assist us to understand the cognitive patterns of the learner and as a result help us to enhance learning in the following ways. Firstly it is important to note that as Piaget observed the child may cognitive levels at alternative times in their childhood. So if a child doesn’t want to or can’t perform a task it may be because they haven’t reached the necessary level yet, so it’s important not to pressure them.
Furthermore, as we now know that environmental stimuli are the primary cause of cognitive development we can safely assume that if we keep the child in a stimulating environment in can promote cognitive maturity. “Optimum development takes place when accommodation and assimilation are in dynamic balance…and progress is most effective under conditions of moderate disparity of structure and problem.” (Piaget, Education and Teaching, DWMcNally). We can see that this idea is similar to Vygotsky’s ZPD Theory where the challenges given to children should be just above their current ability.
Some limitations of Piaget’s theory could be that firstly his sample size of children was limited and some-what unreliable as he mainly used his own three children, and a small sample of upper class children which leads us to wonder if the environment is a larger factor in a child’s development such as Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. In addition recent studies have shown that development isn’t in stages as Piaget suggests, but is continuous.
Developmental psychology is crucial to study, as it lets us explore the aspects of development within each individual in the classroom. If an educator was having any difficulty with any pupil for any particular reason, this allows the educator to analyse their aspects of development. For example, their behaviour, their reasoning to things and the functioning of that person. Then are to look at the physical appearance of that person, which links to cognitive thinking and how that person acts around social gatherings and what they are like emotionally too.
In primary schools, the attention on child development is mainly focused on their behaviour with fellow peers and with the teacher. Also the changes they have gone through since childbirth to childhood, what is important is the maturation and experience they have experienced through the stages of childhood. These are a series of changes a child will go through life, both descriptive and mentally. “The focus is on aspects of physiology, cognition and behaviour that shows qualitative and quantitative changes as the child passes from birth to maturity”. (Reber, 1985). As you will be then able to observe children’s behaviour and patterns and be able to interpret what these mean. Development psychology has an important effect on
education as well. Furthermore psychological theories based on child development notify the educator the ways psychologist think and study development. The ideas we have about human nature will affect how we explain the role of experience in development. As for years many people have debated with this issue regarding the ways in which how we really are developed. The two factors that are involved in the way we are developed are our genetic inheritance and our environment. This is called the nature-nurture issue. (Slater and Bremmer, 2003).
The nature-nurture issue affects all aspects of development linking to cognitive development and also physical development too. As educators you should be able to identify the difference stages of experience and development. Attachment theory, originally developed by , focuses on close, intimate, emotionally meaningful relationships. Attachment is described as a biological system that evolved to ensure the survival of the infant. A child who is threatened or stressed will move toward caregivers who create a sense of physical, emotional and psychological safety for the individual. The general context of development for an individual are; their immediate family, extended family and friends, teachers, societies, media, government and friends parents. “Progress toward maturity by qualitative rather than quantitative advancement”. (Haywood, 1986).
To be an effective educator you need to have a wide range of knowledge on various different learning and teaching methods there are and how to approach these in the classroom, as every child learns differently. It is crucial to know what stage the child is at in there learning process and what ability they can achieve to. Piaget’s ideas of assimilation and accommodation case study are good to know in terms of taking in information and ideas and relating them to what they know already. Then adapting this to a suitable learning method for the child to match their understanding and to increase their knowledge. “Many developments we find as childhood progresses are a result of age” (Slater and Brember, 2004). The older the child gets they start to develop different learning methods on how to process and memorise information.
Jerome Bruner developed a form of teaching called Discovery learning, it asserts that learning is most successful when the learner discovers knowledge or develops skills by themselves. Discovery learning lends itself to the teacher acting as a guide, as it is possible for the teacher to link some of the child’s interests into a topic and then allow them to discover more for himself or herself. The ability to use discovery learning is very important for children to develop, as it is one that can be used throughout their life. Discovery learning promotes enthusiasm for lifelong leaning as it gives the children the confidence to find out things for themselves, whilst maintaining the sense of security that comes from knowing that the teacher is there to support them if they need it. Through creating motivation for discovery learning at an early age this enthusiasm will hopefully be carried on throughout life. After school there isn’t a teacher there to aid learning, however learning doesn’t end when you leave school. Mark Van Doren asserted that “the art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery” Through promoting discovery learning children will hopefully leave school with a thirst to gain new knowledge and skills, without having to be pushed or aided by a teacher.
Another teaching style suited to the teacher acting as a guide is collaborative learning. This refers to either the teacher working with small groups of children or small groups working together alone in order to aid one another’s learning. This has much strength in comparison to the traditional style of teaching. When learning a child may have a vague understanding of what something means however when discussing it with their peers or teacher they may realise their understanding isn’t quite correct. Collaborative learning allows for children’s understanding to be developed in a comfortable, safe environment. A further advantage is that it can aid discovery learning and promote a child’s wish to gain knowledge for themselves. Collaborative learning gives the teacher the `chance to assess each individual’s abilities and therefore set challenging tasks matched to their level of understanding. Elbert Hubbard commented, “The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without his teacher” this shows that through scaffolding a teacher is giving a child the ability and confidence to carry out a task alone, and eventually the child will be able to learn without the need for scaffolding.
The concept of scaffolding is closely linked to Vygotsky’s ideas about the zone of proximal development. This asserts that there is a gap between what a child can do alone and what they can do with guidance. For some children this gap may be greater than it is for others. Assessment of children and learners has been criticised in light of the concept of the zone of proximal development, as the majority of tests involve children carrying out tasks alone, however this may not show their actual ability. One child may be able to perform at a much higher standard with guidance than another child, although alone they may perform the same. If a teacher is to take on the role of a guide they will become aware of the difference in a child’s ability with and without help. This gives a far more realist account of a child’s ability and how it can be aided and developed compared with the sage’s style of teaching where the educator’s only understanding of the child’s ability would be through individual assessment.
Both developmental psychology and theories of learning and teaching in reference to primary schools is very vital as an educator to be aware of these topics. Developmental psychology is also known as human development and is essential for educators to be knowledgeable in this field. This field explores, cognitive development, problem solving, social, personality, emotional development and self concept. Developmental psychology informs several applied fields, including physical development which has been mentioned in this essay. Furthermore, knowing about different theories of learning and teaching is really important as each child in the classroom has different needs, which need to be met by the teacher. Knowing about different learning and teaching methods is an advantage, as you will be able to help pupils in your class as not everyone learns the same way and just using the same method. Gives time for the teacher to observe the pupils more when they are not teaching the class formally and to spend more one to one time with each pupil to meet their needs.
Referencing:
Websites
Motor and Cognitive development html [online] Available from:
(accessed 02/12/08)
Books
DWMcNally (1974) ‘Piaget, Education and Teaching’. New Education Press: England.
Hubbard, E cited by Gruwell, E McCourt, and F (2007) The Teacher. The gigantic book of teacher’s wisdom. Skyhorse publishing Inc pg 9
Reber, A (1985) “”. Penguin London Ltd.
Slater, A. and Bremner, G. (2003) An Introduction to developmental psychology. USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Vygotsky, cited in Donaldson, M (1978) Why Children Find School Learning Difficult. Children’s Minds William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, Glasgow pg 94
